In the 1800s, nursing abroad was largely associated with Britain’s colonies. Dr Rosemary Wall (University of Hull) talks about this history, in which nurses could be seen as agents of imperial hygiene. Dr Jon Cossar, former Foundation Vice Dean of the Faculty of Travel Medicine, and travel health specialist nurse Jane Chiodini will offer personal reflections on the development of travel medicine from the 1980s. A panel discussion, chaired by RCN Public Health Forum committee member Sandra Grieve, will consider what the future holds for travel health.